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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · file · prune · track · racket · rule · game · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rule — government
  6. bound — certain
  7. track — a song
  8. bound — tied together
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rule — a law
  11. fall — the season
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. file — a document
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fall — to drop
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. prune — to trim
  19. file — a tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. game — wild animals
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com